Environmental Sustainability

Letter to Accepted DU Students

Welcome Future Pioneer!

Congratulations on nearly completing your final year of high school and beginning to choose where you will further pursue your studies. The University of Denver is an exceptional institution that will foster your academic and personal growth with small class sizes and engaging student organizations.

One of the best opportunities for first-year students to get involved and integrated on campus is the Living and Learning Communities (LLCs). The LLCs are one-year programs where a group of first-year students live on the same floor in a residence hall, take a seminar-style class once a week, and complete service projects together. What bonds these students is the overarching theme of each LLC. We have LLCs that focus on Environmental Sustainability, Wellness, Social Justice, International topics, and Creativity & Entrepreneurship.

We are Brianna and Don, the program coordinator and faculty director for the Environmental Sustainability LLC. This program is recommended for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of sustainability issues in Denver, in Colorado, and beyond. In each class, we focus on sustainability challenges and research what is being done to change behavior to make communities “greener”. Throughout the entire year, we also participate in community engagement projects where students work with local organizations furthering their sustainability goals. This past year, one group of students worked on the organizing team for Zero Waste Hockey Games promoting correct waste practices and evaluating how much waste was diverted from the landfill (see photo below); another group worked on establishing DU’s community garden. The LLCs are distinctive in that you get to live what you learn in and out of the classroom with the same group of students all year long.

Another unique component of the LLCs is that you enter DU with a group of people who share a similar interest. One student commented, “The LLC fosters a community of people you can rely on from the first day of school.” The LLC “family” is special on DU’s campus and we take pride in providing opportunities for students to connect on a deeper level with their peers.

We hope that you might consider applying to the Environmental Sustainability LLC or to any of the four other programs. You can apply to all that interest you! If you have further questions, please feel free to contact us directly. We wish you all the best when selecting a university and would love to see you on our campus in the fall!